The Union Territory administration in Ladakh has announced the establishment of an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) for each of its seven districts, significantly expanding democratic decentralisation. This move extends elected local self-governance beyond Leh and Kargil, with a proposed Union Territory-level body under a customised Article 371 framework to oversee these councils.
June-July 1999 saw some of the most bitterly fought battles in the Kargil War. Colonel Gaurav Chaturvedi looks back on those days -- and the extraordinary saga of the men he fought alongside.
'I was fortunate enough to be associated with two of the most important battles fought by the Indian Army, the Battle of Tololing and Battle of Tiger Hill.' 'Sometimes, I think how I survived those battles on Tololing and on Tiger Hill.'
A Kargil War Hero looks back at the victory of Tiger Hill and the men who didn't return.
The 13.153-km Zojila Tunnel, the world's longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at the highest altitude, and its final breakthrough will be a historic milestone in India's infrastructure history.
The Zojila tunnel, a crucial infrastructure project connecting the Kashmir Valley to Ladakh, achieved a significant breakthrough, connecting its two ends and moving closer to providing all-weather connectivity, reducing travel time from 1.5 hours to just 15 minutes.
The farmers in Kashmir's border areas are now growing organic vegetables and that decision is changing their lives for the better.
Meena Nayyar, the mother of Kargil war hero Captain Anuj Nayyar, was all tears and said she felt like she was meeting her son for the first time in more than 26 years when she saw her son's bust at the War Memorial in Drass.
"We did not bathe or shave for three months and on several occasions quenched our thirst by eating ice," recalled braveheart Naik Praveen on the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas Saturday.
Major Padmapani Acharya was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his courage in the Kargil War.
At least 50 people were detained as police and paramilitary forces strictly implemented curfew on Thursday in the violence-hit Leh, where four people were killed and over 80 others were injured when widespread clashes broke out a day before.
'Please don't worry about casualties. It is a professional hazard beyond our control,' wrote Kargil Hero Major Padmapani Acharya in his last letter from the battlefield.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led the nation in paying tributes to military personnel who fought valiantly in harsh conditions to hand Pakistan a crushing defeat in the 1999 Kargil conflict.
'The Pakistanis knew there was only one route up and they could take direct aim at us as we climbed up.' 'They knew they could kill us.'
Indian army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said that the surgical strikes carried out during Operation Sindoor were a clear message to Pakistan that supporters of terrorism will not be spared.
Every day dozens of vehicles carrying tourists make a stopover at Drass War Memorial - a grim reminder to what happened in this region in the last year of the previous millennium.
The Indian Army on Monday began the two-day celebrations of the 12th anniversary of its victory in the 1999 Kargil war in the Drass sub-sector of Jammu and Kashmir. A presentation, marking the beginning of the two-day fiesta, was held at the Umpa La ridge. The ridge provides a panoramic view to most of the battlefields around Drass town, 150 kms from Srinagar, where Indian and Pakistan forces battled each other in rough terrain and extreme conditions in 1999.
The visiting personnel will also ascertain difficulties, if any, being faced by the "families of our war heroes", he said.
Inclement weather on Thursday forced Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag to cancel their scheduled visit to Drass for paying homage to the martyrs of the 1999 Kargil war.
'Indian Army officers always lead their men into battle or combat. Pakistani officers are seldom seen at the front.'
Umar Ganie captures glimpses of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas at Drass Kargil on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
Umar Ganie captures glimpses of the Indian Army preparations for the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas in Drass Kargil.
"The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny," he said.
India failed to extract the 'price' from Pakistan for its Kargil misadventure.
The price could have been military in terms of loss of territory/soldiers/equipment or destruction of terrorist training infrastructure. Giving a 'face saving' option to Pakistan proved disastrous for the future, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states -- Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana's Revanth Reddy -- have announced they will not attend the NITI Aayog meeting over alleged bias against their states in the Union Budget.
He said his biggest takeaway from the Kargil war is that the enemy cannot be trusted even if there is "political show" of friendship.
Hriiyio was only 6 months old when his father, a soldier in the 1 Naga Battalion met a warrior's death in Drass.
Captain Vikram Batra died fighting Pakistani forces during the Kargil war in 1999 at the age of 24. He was given the highest wartime gallantry award 'Param Vir Chakra' posthumously.
'There is a sense of achievement but it has come at a great cost.'
'I told my commander that they were not militants, but full-fledged soldiers with machine guns.'
Preparations are underway for the event at the War Memorial in Drass with final touches being added.
'Before going to battle, Captain Anuj Nayyar gave me the engagement ring and photograph of his fiance.' 'I told him, "Why don't you keep it? It will motivate you to fight'.' 'He said he did not want the photograph to fall in the dirty hands of the enemy.' 'I wondered why he was giving it to me. Did he feel he would not return?'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Agnipath scheme is an example of necessary reforms undertaken by the Army and accused the opposition of playing politics over the recruitment process aimed at keeping the average age in armed forces young.
On the 25th anniversary of the battle that made his war cry 'Dil Maange More' part of national lore, we republish that feature to salute Captain Batra's ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
Twenty three years ago, Indian soldiers victoriously fought the Pakistani invaders to capture Point 5140 -- now renamed Gun Hill to salute the sacrifice of the Indian Army's Gunners during that historic military operation.
'A battery of six guns had a devastating effect because it can destroy men and material.'
The battalion launched an attack and came under intense fire from the enemy after reaching the hill top. Singh died in the gun battle and was awarded a Sena Medal posthumously.
The Indian Army and Indian Air Force pay tribute to the Kargil martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas in Kargil.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India is ready to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to maintain its honour and dignity, and called upon civilians to be ready to support the soldiers in such a situation.
